Gwynn's father, Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, has met Johnson on a few occasions and has a basketball signed by Johnson in his house.

Gwynn Jr. has never met Johnson and is looking forward to doing so.

"I'll probably have a basketball in hand," he said.

Tom Lasorda also sounded excited, but for a different reason.

While saying he was pleased that a popular Los Angeles sports figure such as Johnson was part of the group, the Hall of Famer former manager he was optimistic about the Dodgers' future because of the man who will be in charge of the day-to-day operation of the team if the deal closes as expected: former Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals president Stan Kasten.

"He's a very, very astute baseball mind," Lasorda said. "I think he'll do one hell of a job because of his experience. He's done it before."

Kasten made in name in sports with the NBA's Atlanta Hawks. In 1979, Kasten became the youngest general manager in the history of the league at 27.

He became the Hawks' president in 1986. That same year, he became the president of the Atlanta Braves.

Under Kasten, the Braves became a dynasty. A 66-96 team in 1985, they were National League East champions six years later. The division title was the first of 14 consecutive they would win.